1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to illuminating eyeglasses and, more particularly, to novel and improved constructions for the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
One challenge often facing readers of printed material and the like is providing temporary, portable lighting for reading in a dark or dimly lit place that is not feasible to be lit with adequate ambient light, for example, while traveling in a car at night or in the presence of someone trying to fall asleep. In this situation readers need a light source that does not require use of their hands, since they need to use their hands to hold the book they are reading. Attempts have been made to solve this problem by providing a source of illumination that may be mounted to a reader's head or to headgear, such as a hat or eyeglasses.
Such illuminating devices face a number of limitations in view of the requirements and constraints they must satisfy. For example, while the means of illumination should be compact, lightweight, energy-efficient, and completely portable (e.g., not requiring electrical connection to an external power source via a cable or the like), it should also provide light at a sufficiently high intensity or brightness so as to permit reading while minimizing eye strain. Since such devices are typically powered by battery (e.g., in order to achieve complete portability), energy-efficiency is required to achieve compactness (e.g., use of a small battery) and long battery life. Related to energy-efficiency, the devices should not give off heat in an amount that causes discomfort to the user. With respect to brightness, the issue is not merely to achieve bright light, but also to direct the bright light to the object being viewed (e.g., the book, or portion of the page, being read) and to retain the brightness at the distance of the object being viewed (e.g., normal reading distance) in view of the fact that the light dissipates with distance. Of course, it is also desirable for the illuminating device to be produced at a low cost, which in turn may dictate a simple design so as to simplify manufacturing.
In addition to the foregoing, the illuminating device should desirably satisfy other considerations. For example, the device should be easy to operate. Thus, if a switch is used to turn the light on and off, the switch should be easy to use, and easy to locate by hand preferably without looking. In addition, the device should be enclosed, encased, or the like to the extent feasible, so as to protect it from inadvertent damage (e.g., from brushing it against an object). Relatedly, the device should be designed in such a way as not to add any significant risk of injury to the user (e.g., from electrical or mechanical components). Further, the device should operate properly even if the user's head is not in a normal upright position (in this regard it may be noted, for example, that a hat-mounted light may not operate properly when the user is in a prone position, because the hat may slip off the user's head). Finally, the device should be at least neutral if not pleasing aesthetically.
It would be useful if an illuminating device could be applied not just to reading in inadequately lit spaces, but to a variety of situations (e.g., performing manual tasks) in which hands-free illumination is required, e.g., to any situation where a flashlight is required or useful. For example, in cases in which it is needed to illuminate a tight or confined location (e.g., looking into a pipe having a small diameter), use of a traditional hand-held flashlight or a light mounted on a hat may not be feasible because of space limitations. Thus, an illuminating device which overcomes this limitation would be useful.